Survival vs Happiness
by NewVoice
Summary: Gale once said that Katniss would choose the one that she couldn't survive without. A year later this statement is once again addressed when Peeta and Katniss find themselves on the anniversary of the rebellion end.


**So I just finished the Hunger Games last week and thought id take a short at a fic. I wrote this in like an hour so it's short, but to the point. :) reviews are loved  
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><p>It was a quiet day in District 12. The new spring air was whispering through the trees and the new leaves rustled along with it. There was no one in the streets, stores were closed down. Everyone was in their houses, celebrating in their own way the victory of the rebels exactly a year before. Some were laughing in their homes and some were mourning the loss of family and friends that had happened. This still rang true up the road at Victory Village, where the only three victors of the Hunger Games for the district lived.<p>

Katniss and Peeta were sitting in the home they now shared, Peeta's victory house, when Peeta popped this question. The two had spent the anniversary of their victory sitting quietly with their thoughts, giving a compassionate hand when needed. Tears had been shed on both parts and the last few hours had been spent in silence. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that Peeta opened his mouth for the first time in hours.

"If Gale hadn't thought of the bomb that killed Prim, you'd still pick me. Real or not real?" Peeta asked. The question caught Katniss completely off guard, causing her to drop her families book that she was flipping through.

"Wh-what?" Katniss sputtered. In the year since they had returned to District 12 Peeta would still play the real or not real game with Katniss. Sometimes it would be a serious question that he couldn't remember, but sometimes it would be more of a joke that they could laugh at. Katniss stared at Peeta's face, trying to figure which this was.

"If Gale hadn't thought of the bomb that killed Prim, you'd still pick me. Real or not real?" Peeta repeated, not dropping his gaze from Katniss's. "Beetee phoned today while you went to collect your family book from your house. He said he wanted to offer his condolences on the anniversary of Prim's death to us, and that he was sorry for his part. I asked what he meant and he explained the bomb he and Gale made. How could you not tell me they made it?" Peeta sounded more upset that Katniss didn't reveal the information to him than that their friends had taken part in killing her sister.

"It never seemed important for you to know." Katniss said, dropping her gaze from Peeta's. "My perception of our friends was tarnished, yours didn't need to be." Katniss hung her head in shame, knowing her reason wasn't good enough to conceal something like this from Peeta. In reality, she was worried about this exact conversation coming up and she had tried desperately to avoid it.

"All this time I though Gale left because you chose me. That maybe you had asked him to leave to make it easier or that he left on his own. But this whole time I got you because he killed your sister and you couldn't handle that. He couldn't handle that. I want to know if you still would have chosen me or if I was just the default because of some fluke." Peeta reached out his hand to grab Katniss's. "So if the roles were reversed, or even if that bomb had never happened in the first place, would you still have chosen me?"

Katniss paused before answering. She was trying to visualize how life would have been if that bomb had never gone off. Prim would be alive, her mom would still live in District 12, along with Gale, but what of herself? Katniss closed her eyes and tried to imagine. She'd spend time with Prim, help her mother gather the ingredients for her healing, hunt with Gale regularly. She'd have her old life back. Where would Peeta fit in though? He hadn't had a place in her old life. There was no getting her old life back though, she couldn't go back to that after the Games even if Prim had lived and her family was intact. It took less than a second for Katniss to arrive at her answer.

"Peeta, remember that time Gale said that I would choose whoever I needed to survive?" Katniss said, now throwing Peeta off guard.

"Yes," He said, racking his brain for the memory. "When we were invading the capitol. We were all in the Star Squad. Why?"

"If I had gone with who I needed to survive it would have been Gale." Katniss said. She saw the hurt flash across Peeta's eyes before continueing. "He would be the one to fight till the end so we can both survive. He lived for survival." Peeta began to remove his hand from Katniss's, but she grabbed on tight. "I chose you Peeta, not because I need you to survive, but because I need you to be happy. I could survive without you. I could also survive without Gale. I don't need anyone to survive, but I need you to be happy. That's something I can't do on my own." Katniss laughed as a smile broke out on Peeta's face. "So yes Peeta, it's real. I would chose you over Gale even if that bomb hadn't have been his idea."

"Well that's good." Peeta said, taking his hand lightly out of Katniss's. "Because if you actually wanted to be with Gale it would have made this next part a little awkward." Peeta reached behind him to his back pocket. He took out a little black box and moved off the couch, down onto one knee. "Katniss, if I'm what it takes to make you happy. Will you do what it takes to make me happy? Will you marry me Katniss Everdeen?" Peeta opened the little box to reveal a gold ring, with red rubies circling around a pearl set in the middle. Katniss looked at the pearl and thought it looked extremely familiar.

"That's my pearl!" She exclaimed, not quite believing it. As far as Katniss knew the pearl should have still been in it's place in her bedside drawer, where she kept most things precious to her.

"I sort of took it and had it made into a ring." Peeta said, looking at Katniss with a confused look. "But Katniss...you still haven't answered the question. I'm waiting, and my knee isn't going to last like this forever."

"Oh! Right...Of course I'll marry you Peeta." A grin spread over both victors faces. Peeta stood up and grabbed Katniss, twirling his new fiance around in his arms.

"I love you Katniss Soon-To-Be Mellark." Peeta said, staring into Katniss's eyes.

"I love you too Peeta." Katniss reached up and placed a light peck on Peeta's lips. With that kiss she knew that her happiness was worth much more than her survival.


End file.
